1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to navigating in a geographic information system (GIS).
2. Background
A geographic information system (GIS) is a system for archiving, retrieving, displaying or manipulating data indexed according to the data elements' respective geographic coordinates. The data elements may be a variety of data types such as, for example, satellite imagery, maps, models of buildings and terrain, and other geographic features. Further, data elements may include representations of real-world objects at various geographic locations. For example, geographic coordinates of the object may be tracked over time using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver or device.
As GPS devices have become ubiquitous (e.g., most mobile phones today have integrated GPS receivers), such devices can optionally be used to record location-based information corresponding to an object and it's movement over time. However, conventional GIS systems are often limited in their ability to effectively utilize GPS data to present meaningful information about the location or movement of objects over time. Conventional GIS systems display only static representations of such content, for example, by displaying lines or a collection of points represent the changing positions of an object.